Antwerp • Queen Elisabeth Hall • 12 June
Boost productivity with data and AI
Join SAS Innovate on Tour in Antwerp. After one day, you’ll walk away with the knowledge you need to simplify and enhance your data and AI ecosystem, get more done in less time and make better decisions.
Watch the aftermovie of last year's Innovate on Tour Benelux to get a feeling of what to expect
Moderator & Keynote speakers
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Closing keynote: Peter Hinssen
General speakers
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Melanie Noronha
PrincipalEconomist Impact
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Gabriel Tarrason Risa
Lead AI ScientistRejuvenate Biomed
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Katherine Stewart
Principal and Editorial Strategy Lead, EMEA and Global Benchmarking LeadEconomist Impact
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José Miguel Fernández Pueyo
Biostatistics Manager SGS Pharma Clinical Research
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Laurent de Walick
Senior ConsultantPW Consulting
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Martijn Busselen
Head of Statistical ProgrammingArgenx
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Alex Moltzau
Policy Officer at the European AI OfficeEuropean Commission
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Jasper Kars
Senior Policy Officer for Data and AIDutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK)
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Daan Bloem
Decision Scientist at SASSAS
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Soundarya Palanisamy
Senior Industry AdvisorSAS
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Wesley Wuyts
Customer AdvisorySAS
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Alfredo Iglesias Rey
Principal Pre/Post-Sales Systems EngineerSAS
Agenda
09:30 - 10:30
Welcome & registration coffee/tea/snack at Innovation Square
10:30 - 12:30
Opening Plenary
- Outcomes that Outperform
Bob Messier, Sr. Vice President - Global Technology Services at SAS - Special Conversation: SAS + Microsoft on the AI Era
- SAS® Viya® Portfolio Deep Dive
Marinela Profi, Principal Product Marketing Manager at SAS
Mathias Coopmans, Head of Customer Advisory Benelux at SAS - Trustworthy AI & Intelligent Decisioning
Thomas Roehm, Vice President, Corporate Marketing at SAS - Partners Scaling AI Everywhere
Dennis Eichkorn, Head of Channel & Territory Sales Western Europe at SAS
12:30 - 14:00
Networking lunch at Innovation Square
14:00 - 15:30
Breakout Sessions: Industry
After the opening plenary, you can choose a business track or follow the tech topics that interest you most. Make your choice on site.
- More sessions confirmed soon.
14:00 - 15:45/18:00
Breakout Sessions: Technology
After the opening plenary, you can choose a business track or follow the tech topics that interest you most. Make your choice on site.
You will have the opportunity to follow two technical deep dive sessions of 45 minutes.
Topics expected: data management, the data & AI Lifecycle, SAS Viya Workbench and SAS Hackathon and Hack Festival
- 14:00-14:45
Empowering AI Development: Flexible Model Development & Trusted Synthetic Data with SAS Viya Workbench & Data Maker
Wesley Wuyts, Technical Account Manager at SAS
Edwin Van Unen, Principal Pre/Post-Sales Systems Engineer at SAS
Mastering Data Like a Pro: The Latest SAS innovations in Data Management and Cloud deployment
Alfredo Iglesias Rey, Principal Pre/Post-Sales Systems Engineer at SAS
Anthony Severeyns, Principal Systems Engineer at SAS
Silviu Simbotelecan, Principal Pre/Post-Sales Systems Engineer at SAS
From Code to Production: Implementing CI/CD in SAS Viya.
Laurent de Walick, Senior Consultant at PW Consulting
Daan Bloem, SAS Consultant at PW Consulting
- 15:00-15:45
Empowering AI Development: Flexible Model Development & Trusted Synthetic Data with SAS Viya Workbench & Data Maker
Wesley Wuyts, Technical Account Manager at SAS
Edwin Van Unen, Principal Pre/Post-Sales Systems Engineer at SAS
Generative AI Magic show from synthetic to safety
Joran Roor, Pre/Post-Sales Systems Engineer at SAS
Ischa van der Molen, Pre/Post-Sales Systems Engineer at SAS
Kaat Tastenhoye, Sr Systems Engineer at SAS
Rik de Ruiter, Senior Systems Architect at SAS
Trusted Decisions With SAS Viya on Red Hat OpenShift
- 16:00-18:00
SAS Hackathon Boot Camp 2025
Hack the Future: Sustainable Innovation with AI & Analytics
15:30 - 16:00
Networking Break
16:00 - 17:30
Main Stage Sessions
- Imagining nature-positive futures - How can data and AI help to accelerate climate action?
Tim van Hattum, Program Leader Green Climate Solutions at Wageningen University & Research
17:30 - 18:30
Networking Reception at Innovation Square
What to expect
Content, inspiration, networking and fun. This event provides something for everyone in every role across industries.
Cut through complexity to get more done
Discover how to simplify processes and enhance productivity using data and AI. Streamline workflows, automate tasks and make data-driven decisions that propel strategic growth.
Move beyond the generative AI hype
Explore practical applications of GenAI that deliver real value. Understand AI’s capabilities and limitations and learn how to integrate it effectively into your business.
Realize the potential of trustworthy AI
Learn to build AI systems that are reliable, transparent and ethical. Ensure your models comply with AI legislation (EU AI Act). Create models that are fair, unbiased and secure to build confidence with your stakeholders and enhance your AI credibility.
Start developing your blueprint for AI innovation
Craft scalable, sustainable AI initiatives that align with your business objectives. Learn how SAS’ robust AI experience can help you develop a roadmap for AI implementation.
Conference Experience
Bring yourself and your team. We’ll bring content, inspiration, networking and fun!
Innovation Square
Get to know SAS partners, their services and solutions or check out interactive demos.
Worker Safety Solution
Experience how to reduce and prevent safety accidents with analytics and computer vision.
SAS Viya® Value Calculator
Can you put a price on productivity? Turns out the answer is yes. A study by The Futurum Group proved that SAS Viya increases productivity by an average of 4.6x. Find out what that could mean for you.
Fun
With the SAS Viya Ball Pit and more.
Location
Easily accessible at a location right next to Antwerp Central Station.
Registration
Attend this event for free and:
- Cut through complexity to get more done.
- Move beyond the GenAI hype.
- Realize the potential of trustworthy AI.
- Start developing your blueprint to AI innovation.
Sponsors/Partners
Phaedra Kortekaas
Managing Director of SAS BeNeLux
Phaedra Kortekaas is the Managing Director of SAS BeNeLux. She has over 20 years of international experience in leading digital transformation, B2B sales, consulting, and P&L leadership, with a focus on data and AI-driven business value. Phaedra is passionate about the application of data and AI towards the greater good and aspires to be a role model for female talent in the tech sector.
Peter Hinssen
Closing keynote
Peter Hinssen is a global keynote speaker, bestselling author, business school lecturer, LinkedIn Top Voice, serial entrepreneur, trusted board member, startup investor and the world’s leading innovation, technology and leadership expert.
Bob Messier
Sr. Vice President - Global Technology Services, SAS
Marinela Profi
Market Strategy Lead for AI & Generative AI, SAS
Marinela Profi is a Technology Product Marketing Lead and Data Scientist Advocate at SAS. Marinela leads the product marketing and market strategy efforts for the SAS Viya Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Analytics and ModelOps portfolio. She has a degree in Econometrics, as well as master’s degrees in Statistics and Business Administration. She previously worked as a data scientist and an analytics and AI consultant, honing her skills mining data, developing models and technical/business solutions, and helping organizations make confident decisions through AI and analytics.
Mathias Coopmans
Head of Customer Advisory Benelux, SAS
Dennis Eichkorn
Head of Channel & Territory Sales Western Europe, SAS
Lisbeth Imbo
Moderator
Lisbeth is a distinguished Belgian journalist, media professional and author. She has been editor-in -Chief of De Morgen and since 2016 she has been a versatile freelancer, creating notable programs for TV and radio.
Thomas Roehm
Vice President, Corporate Marketing, SAS
Thomas Roehm is responsible for SAS Corporate Marketing. Roehm provides global direction and services across product and industry market strategy, messaging and content, corporate events, customer engagement, and the SAS Executive Briefing Center. He leads positioning and market facing activities in artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, cloud and industry offerings. He helped pioneer SAS’ investment in IoT and consults on the use of analytics in the connected world. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in defining and bringing new offerings to market as well as leading many enterprise-wide projects.
Tim van Hattum
Closing Keynote
Tim van Hattum is Head of the Green Climate Solutions Programme at Wageningen University & Research and author of the bestseller the Only Planet Climate Guide for the 21st century. He speaks on the urgency of addressing climate and biodiversity challenges, and the solutions available to tackle them. Tim consistently surprises and inspires his audience to contribute to the transition towards a sustainable future. His key message is that is not too late for climate action and that we need the power of imagination to cocreate the future we want.